The present invention relates to the field of aviation and, more particularly, to the maintenance of aircraft.
Over the years, various aircraft maintenance equipment has been developed for maintaining various portions of an aircraft. This aircraft maintenance equipment has included washing, cleaning, deicing, painting, polishing, sanding, grinding, and/or other maintenance functions. Such systems conventionally provide an aircraft cleaning or painting apparatus which has a pair of spaced-apart tracks for positioning an aircraft therebetween and a track base slidably mounted to each track. An example of such a system can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,299 by Collins et al. titled xe2x80x9cAircraft Deicing Apparatusxe2x80x9d. Other systems provide an aircraft cleaning or painting apparatus that has a boom pivotally mounted to a slidable support base. Examples of such an apparatus can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,646 by Shaw et al. titled xe2x80x9cAircraft Maintenance Robotxe2x80x9d, U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,254 by Shaw et al. titled xe2x80x9cAircraft Maintenance Robotxe2x80x9d, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,498 by Arato titled xe2x80x9cCraft Washing Plantxe2x80x9d. Still other systems provide overhead tracks under which an aircraft or other vehicle passes for providing maintenance such as painting, cleaning, or deicing. Examples of this type of system can be seen in French EPO-0341-134 Published Patent Application by Jonca and U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,121 by Alexanian titled xe2x80x9cVehicle Washing Systemxe2x80x9d.
These conventional aircraft maintenance systems, however, attempt to provide movement of a washing, cleaning, deicing, painting, polishing, sanding, or grinding apparatus by complex boom type systems which often require an expensive installation facility which includes extensive installation obstacles to overcome. These systems also often distribute the weight of the apparatus performing the maintenance functions either with the structure, i.e., building, hangar, garage, itself or at a substantial distance from the aircraft. This operational requirement, in turn, requires the extensive boom-type or robotic-type arms which extend outwardly from a base to perform the maintenance operation. These boom-type arms conventionally carry extensive electronics and can be quite expensive to manufacture. Other problems associated with these boom-type arms include the risk from damage to the long outwardly extending arms by moving aircraft, the requirement of complex and expensive control of the arm at a base a distance away from the aircraft, and the lack of effective control of the arm, e.g., to track the contour of the aircraft, and the maintenance tools adjacent the aircraft.
With the foregoing in mind, the present invention advantageously provides an apparatus and method for maintaining an aircraft that provides effective control of maintenance tools adjacent the aircraft. The present invention also advantageously provides an apparatus and method to track or follow the contour of the aircraft by providing the weight of the control of the maintenance tool adjacent the aircraft and reducing the problems and risks associated with the use of a long boom-type arm extending outwardly from hangar walls or roofs to provide the maintenance functions. The present invention additionally advantageously provides an aircraft maintenance a apparatus and method with increased degrees of freedom of movement for movement of a maintenance tool in the X, Y, and Z planes.
More particularly, an apparatus for maintaining an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention preferably has a mobile base having a plurality of wheel members for allowing the mobile base to travel along surfaces and a plurality of support surface registering members for registering the mobile base to a support surface to inhibit movement of the plurality of wheel members. The apparatus also preferably has a boom member having a proximal end portion rotatably mounted to the mobile base and being movable between a retracted position and an extended position and an aircraft maintenance tool rotatably connected to a distal end portion of the boom member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for maintaining an aircraft preferably includes a mobile base, a boom member having a proximal end portion rotatably mounted to said mobile base. The boom member is preferably movable between a retracted position and an extended position. The apparatus also preferably includes an aircraft maintenance tool rotatably connected to a distal end portion of the boom member.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for maintaining an aircraft preferably includes a mobile base including rotating means for providing rotational movement of the mobile base on a support surface, a boom member having a proximal end portion rotatably mounted to the mobile base, and an aircraft maintenance tool connected to a distal end portion of the boom member.
The present invention also provides a maintenance tool such as for an aircraft. The maintenance tool preferably includes a tool housing, a pair of roll members having at least portions thereof mounted in the tool housing, and driving means connected to the tool housing for rotatably driving the pair of roll members in opposite rotational directions.
Another embodiment of a maintenance tool such as for maintaining an aircraft preferably includes a tool housing, a nozzle connected to the tool housing, and nozzle moving means connected to the tool housing for pivotally moving the nozzle in a first plane and for pivotally moving the nozzle in a second different plane.
The present invention also includes a mobile vehicle which preferably has a base having at least upper and lower portions and a drive connected to the base. A plurality of wheels are connected to a lower portion of the base and are also each connected to the drive so that the plurality wheels responsively move the base in a plurality of different directions, e.g., radial directions, responsive to the drive. The lower portion of the base includes a plurality of recessed regions into each of which one of the plurality of wheels is mounted. Each of the wheels of the vehicle preferably include a hub and a plurality of roller members dispersed around the hub. Each of the plurality of wheels is drivable or movable responsive to the drive in a selected direction independent of each of the other plurality of wheels. Also, a plurality of leveling legs can be connected to the base for leveling the base in selected positions. The plurality of leveling leg are preferably being movable between retracted and extended positions.
The present invention also provides a method of maintaining an aircraft. The method preferably includes rotating a boom member connected to a base, extending the boom member from a retracted position, and rotating an aircraft maintenance tool connected to the boom member during operation of a maintenance procedure upon an aircraft. The method can also include rotating the base about a support surface.
Another method according to the present invention preferably includes a method of treating a surface. The method preferably includes the steps of providing a pair of roll members having surface treating means associated therewith and rotationally driving the pair of roll members in opposite rotational directions. The method can also include each of the pair of roll members having a roller and a roller cover. The roller cover includes a plurality of surface contact members associated therewith. Also, each of the rollers can advantageously be inflatable, and the method further including inflating each of the inflatable rollers.